Never Say Never (Romeo Void song)

"Never Say Never"
Single by Romeo Void
from the album Benefactor
ReleasedNovember 1982
Genre
Length3:26 (album and 7" version)
6:06 (EP and 12" version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
  • Debora Iyall
  • Peter Woods
  • Frank Zincavage
  • Benjamin Bossi
  • Larry Carter
Producer(s)
Romeo Void singles chronology
"White Sweater"
(1981) 		"Never Say Never"
(1982) 		"A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)"
(1984)
Audio sample

"Never Say Never" is a 1982 song by the new wave band Romeo Void. One of their best-known songs, "Never Say Never" was a favorite on early MTV, featuring a black-and-white music video that spoofs Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless. The song is driven by a throbbing, funky bassline and punctuated by jagged guitar and saxophone, incorporating post-punk influences. The song reached #17 on the Billboard Dance / Disco chart chart on the 27th of March, 1982.[1]

Originally released on an EP through 415 Records, "Never Say Never" was re-recorded for the band's second album and major label debut, Benefactor. The album version is more radio friendly, cutting the song's length almost in half and removing expletives.[2]

Composition

Musically, the song has been described as post-punk,[3] new wave,[4] dance-rock,[3][5] and disco-punk.[6]

Track listing

7" single
No.TitleLength
1."Never Say Never"3:26
2."Flashflood"4:56

Legacy

The song was featured in the 1984 film Reckless starring Aidan Quinn as a football star and renegade. Quinn's character takes over the school dance's DJ booth to play the single, much to the dismay of all his classmates. A dance sequence ensues with Quinn's character moshing about while a somewhat distraught Daryl Hannah tries to figure out how to dance with him.

A small segment of the song was featured in a scene of the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. It also was included in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street. In 2016, it was featured in the show Ash vs Evil Dead during a scene of the season two episode Trapped Inside.

The song was also featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It is heard in the game on the radio station Wave 103.[7]

Covers

Never Say Never (EP)

Never Say Never
EP by
Romeo Void
ReleasedDecember 1981
RecordedOctober 1981
GenreNew wave
Length20:23
Label415
Producer
Romeo Void chronology
It's a Condition
(1981) 		Never Say Never
(1981) 		Benefactor
(1982)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Robert ChristgauB+[9]

Never Say Never is an EP by American new wave band Romeo Void, released in 1981. It was released on CD in 2006 by Wounded Bird Records, as four bonus tracks to their reissue of Benefactor.

Track listing

All tracks by Debora Iyall, Peter Woods, Frank Zincavage, Benjamin Bossi and Larry Carter.

  1. "Never Say Never" – 6:06
  2. "In the Dark" – 4:33
  3. "Present Tense" – 5:47
  4. "Not Safe" – 3:57

Personnel

Chart positions

Single
Year Chart Position
1982 US Billboard Dance Club Songs[10] 17

References

  1. ^ "Billboard magazine" (PDF). www.worldradiohistory.com. 1982-03-27.
  2. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Benefactor - Romeo Void". AllMusic. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Gerard, Chris (30 September 2015). "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 4: 40 - 21". PopMatters. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. ^ Phares, Heather. "Never Say Never - Romeo Void | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. ^ Billboard. Vol. 95. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 22 January 1983. p. 43.
  6. ^ Sheffield, Rob (September 27, 2022). "100 Best Songs of 1982". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2023. ..."Never Say Never," the definitive art-school punk-disco hit.
  7. ^ "Radio Stations and Songs - GTA: Vice City Wiki Guide". IGN. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  8. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Never Say Never [EP] - Romeo Void". AllMusic.
  9. ^ "CG: Romeo Void". Robert Christgau.
  10. ^ "Romeo Void – Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-05-27.